Piers Morgan today branded a personal trainer’s tactics as ‘fat shaming’ after he used obesity posters to stop his 40-stone client from using takeaways.
Mike Hind took drastic action to get Darren ‘Dibsy’ McClintock in shape by putting up posters in his local fast food shops that said ‘Save Dibsy, obesity is killing him, do not serve this man’ along with a photo of the two of them.
Fast food addict Dibsy, who was heading for an early grave, today revealed an incredible 20-stone loss on Good Morning Britain, thanks to Mike’s extreme weight loss plan.
Despite it working for Dibsy, Piers Morgan branded his tactics as ‘fat shaming’.
He told them: “I would argue, whichever way you want to dress this up, that is a form of fat shaming. You’re basically saying 'look at this fat guy, don’t serve him fast food'.”
Before you wrongly think the motormouth presenter had grown a sympathetic side overnight, Piers simply used this as proof to bolster his opinion that “tough love” sometimes works.
He said to Mike: “My point being, actually sometimes it works. You shocked him. You sometimes need someone you trust to look you in the eye and say, you’re out of shape,” he said.
Mike agreed and said that while it wouldn’t work for every client, it was what Dibsy needed to make a change.
He said: “Dibsy was life or death, some clients this would not have worked for, with others, mental health issues cause it [obesity] and they need an arm on the shoulder to show them support. They have to have the confidence and belief that something will work.”
Dibsy, who was consuming a whopping 11,000 calories a day in junk food and takeaways, said Mike spoke to him about the controversial tactic beforehand.
“We discussed it every step of the way,” he said.
Dibsy also stressed that he didn’t think he was fat shamed.
He said: “I would describe it as being supportive. Fat shaming is being called fat.”
Piers and co-host Susanna then had a squabble about exactly what fat shaming is, before Dibsy added: “If I was called fat I would never have got through this.
“The harsh reality of seeing that picture and knowing what I had put my family through.. Doctors had told me to sort myself out but seeing my mum’s face I knew I had to do something.”
GMB airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
